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SAD News: UNC Basketball Loses Yet Another Big Name
This year’s first outgoing UNC basketball transfer is James Okonkwo.
James Okonkwo led the West Virginia Mountaineers in blocked shots during his sophomore season (2022–2023), playing in 31 games. However, the 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward from England played in just 15 games for Hubert Davis’ third UNC basketball squad during the previous campaign, scoring 1.0 points and grabbing 1.0 rebounds in 2.9 minutes per game on average.
It follows that Okonkwo’s decision to use the transfer portal in search of a larger role elsewhere, as initially reported by 24/7 High School Hoops on Friday morning, is not surprising given that he still has one year of eligibility left.
For the Tar Heels, the news is the first of any type this summer. who in the upcoming weeks may witness a number of other departures to the pro ranks or transfer portal.
It’s also likely that Davis and his staff will add a few veteran transfers to their three-deep 2024 recruiting class, which includes four-star center James Brown, two five-star players, and McDonald’s All-Americans in guard Ian Jackson and forward Drake Powell.
There are currently five available scholarships for the UNC basketball program for the next campaign. Once more, though, that figure might vary based on the actions of players like Harrison Ingram, RJ Davis, and others.
Naturally, there’s a chance that James Okonkwo, 20, uses the gateway to research his alternatives before coming back to Chapel Hill. Such a move is uncommon, though.
